On February 16, 2008 we handed off our hunting Dog Scout, and very special companion, to a "Professional Trainer" to begin her training towards getting an AKC field trials championship. On February 24, 2008 she disappeared and has not been found. We feel she has been picked up by somebody and hope they either do not realize, or do not understand how much this Dog means to somebody.

Every morning when my Wife would get up to let our Dogs out to go potty Scout would be the one to come over to the bed and make me recognize her with a pet and a kiss before she would go outside. She acted like a darn Cat a lot of the time, you know how they like to rub their bodies against your legs while they purr. Scout loved to do this while she made little groaning noises. She would sit in her pad, staring at me, and groan forever begging me to acknowledge her so she could come over and flip on her back wanting her belly tickled. She, as I think all Labs, enjoyed having her back itched where the tail meets the backbone. She loved to stalk her brother in the yard. She would bolt after him and hit him with her body rolling him even though he outweighed her by 20 pounds. She was quick as lightning and he never stood a chance, even though they loved doing this every night when we returned home from work. Scout loved to chase the ball, or dummy, or anything I would throw on land or in water. She knew where every toy was and would go out in the garage with me and sit under the tennis ball thrower and look up at it, look at me, and groan, over and over until I relented. She loved her mommy and was her protector. She would clean her old Lab face of old tears that Grandma Labs get and clean her ears every day.

At just three years old Scout had developed into a pretty darn good all around hunting Dog. If there is one thing I could take back in my life, it would be the decision to send her to a "professional" dog trainer in Bennett, CO. A hunting acquaintance of mine had sent his Female to this guy quite a few years ago for this specific training and recommended the guy. I followed through by calling him and questioning him about his techniques, not using shock collars or heavy handedness, and how what exactly he did. Originally we were going to take Scout to the trainers "facilities" in the Bennett area. We were going to be in Denver at the Coliseum for an indoor ring show for Scout's Brother, we decided to take her and hand her over to the trainer. He kind of convinced me that he would just meet me at Bass Pro Shops and he would take Scout from there. We hugged her, told her we loved her, shed some tears, and handed her over to be reluctantly put in a truck kennel which held 20 Dogs on the back of his pickup. The day was Saturday 2-16-08, a day we will always remember. On Friday 2-22-08 I called the trainer to check one more time on how Scout was doing because we were scheduled to take a business / vacation trip to Hawaii for a week starting Saturday. He told me she was doing better and he was running her with a group of younger Dogs and that she was progressing. We decided then to go ahead and leave Scout for the training and head on vacation.

We flew out to Hawaii and settled in on Saturday preparing for a vacation, but in the back of our minds we still worried about Scout. The next day, Sunday morning I received a phone call from the trainer who told me he let Scout out and she tucked her tail and ran off. He said she would come back and he would continue to look for her. He told me he had posted all the neighbors in the area and they were also watching for her. I was stunned and in disbelief as I hung up the phone. Immediately the plans were put in motion to send a couple of guys from Grand Junction Monday morning to head towards Bennett and for Wendy to take the next flight back. I would join her after a meeting I had to attend on Thursday. My Wife joined up with her nephew and Father and had 2500 flyers made up with her picture and the information where she was lost. She thought that the trainer had notified all of the neighbors in the area as we had been told.

My wife discovered several bothersome details that we have not confirmed but which we believe are in all likelihood true. The trainer told my Wife that he had to wear gloves to get Scout out of the Kennel in his truck the morning she ran away because she was barking, growling, and threatening to bite him. What happened to Scout doing fine on Friday? After going to the place where the trainer was staying we also learned that he had "moved" several days before and was staying at a client's house. What we believe now, although impossible to substantiate at this writing, we believe that Scout was living in his truck box kennel in a 2 ft by 2 ft box with 20 other Dogs. We are sure this traumatized her and was responsible for her behavior. I personally cannot believe that a trainer with 20 years experience did not see this problem coming, especially after our discussion in the Bass Pro Shops parking lot prior to letting her go. He should have told me on Friday there were signs, or problems, and we would have arranged to pick her up.

My Wife received a tip from a hunting club Dog trainer named Carl that he had seen Scout approximately 6 miles away. Because they thought everyone in the area she ran from had already been notified they concentrated their efforts in the area where she had been seen. I joined up with them on Friday and immediately started walking the creek drainages while they drove the roads. That night we went back to the area where she ran from and started to put up fliers Very soon afterwards we received a call from the Martins who lived across the street from where she ran from. They told us Scout had been at her house Tuesday and Wednesday eating with her Great Pyrenees and hanging around. They definitely identified her with her Purple collar and cowlick. You see as we started to canvass the areas around where she had ran from we discovered that most people had not been notified of Scouts running away. So we missed the chance to re-unite with our Dog by two days. Wendy drove for miles and continued posting flyers and meeting all of the local people.

We also called www.findtoto.com and had to "amber" type alerts called out to 500, 1000, and 5000 phone numbers in the area. All of these efforts have not turned up a concrete sighting or clue to Scout's whereabouts. On Saturday 4-5-08 we decided that we had done everything we could do by being in the area. With a storm coming in we made the decision to drive back home because we have two businesses to run and there just wasn't anything else we could do.

The one blessing we brought back was the people we met. We talked to hundreds of people in subdivisions, Ranchers, Sheriffs Deputies, construction workers, UPS & FedEx drivers, school bus drivers, etc...Many told us we could park our RV at their place, we could look around their ranch anywhere we wanted, we could walk their properties, etc...We shed many tears with these people and know they are still watching for us. Gary Ruppel (NOT the same trainer who lost our Dog) let us use his phone number and volunteered his help and support. He even went out and checked out a possible sighting one evening. I would like to thank Carl the dog trainer, the Martins, the lady whose Heeler was killed by a car the night before we met, to the old Rancher Jim and the rancher that helped him with his cows and offered to help. I would like to thank Julie Henderson and her husband and putting us in contact with people through the internet who will continue to search and help check the Kennels and rescue facilities. My faith in the human spirit has been rekindled and I hope I have learned to be less selfish from all of these people who treated us so well.

The biggest lesson learned that everyone should take with them is make sure before you send a Dog to a kennel, a breeder, a groomer, or a trainer, do not trust anyone's recommendations, or by conversations in person or by phone. The only way to truly know is to visit the "place of business" and first-hand look at where you are sending your pet. If you have any doubts or reservations walk away, it isn't worth the risk as we have learned. We made the mistake of sending our Dog to a trainer who we believe put her in a truck box kennel with 20 other dogs and kept her there for the most part of 24 hours a day 7 days a week because he did not have a fenced in yard kennel setup and we assumed he did. A trainer drug my Dog out with gloves and somehow overlooked the warning signs to her having been traumatized. Also make sure they have the necessary insurance to cover your loss. The trainer who lost our Dog was not insured at the time. Do not make the mistake I have, and have to live with this the rest of my life.

Scouter is a 3 year old Female Yellow Labrador retriever AKC registered as Sedona's Dream Scout. She is micro-chipped. She has a distinctive cowlick running from on top of her nose to between her eyes. The cowlick is a darker stripe and slightly more curly. She also has a scar above her right eye from running into a receiver hitch on my pickup. She was last seen on Wednesday 2-27-08 still wearing her Purple collar with Redstone Vet tags at 46122 53 Rd. in Elbert County South of Bennett, CO. We feel she has been picked up by somebody and hope they either do not realize, or do not understand how much this Dog means to somebody.

We pray for her rescue, and will leave her kennel next to our bed with her pad hoping to see her once again. We have offered a $1500 reward no questions asked and can be reached at markrichards@qecinc.net, Cell 24/7 at 970-250-8962 & 970-250-2441.

Thank you,
W. Mark Richards